The Easter Ninja
by Mikell
Summary: What happens when a visiting Rabbit ronin is mistaken for the Easter Bunny? An annoyed Aussie egg jockey isn't happy at having his title usurped by an interloper!


**A/N: **I blame FairDrea and MelodyWinters for this little debacle. They've gotten me into Rise of the Guardians recently. Look for a collaboration by those two, coming soon, to the Guardians fandom. :)

My only bunny is an 11yo rex named "Hoppity", whom I inherited from a dear friend. He is neither ninja, nor samurai, and he doesn't hand out eggs at Easter. I do not own any rights to either The Rise of the Guardians, the TMNT, or Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo.

Thank you, as always, to the creators and owners for letting us play with their toys.

* * *

~_**The Easter Ninja**_~

Aster Bunnymund was perfectly aware that he was being careless. In fact, he was making the slight noises purposefully, allowing himself to brush against the furniture and scuff a large paw against the carpet. His ear swiveled slightly, picking up the quick, muffled breathing of a child out of bed, trying to be stealthy. A grin tugged at his lips as he heard the faint gasp from the room behind him.

"Someone's out of bed," he kept his voice low and friendly. "Little boys who don't get enough sleep won't be sharp for the egg hunt. Yer little sister'll find all the eggs, Matthew, if ya don't get some sleep."

The gasp was louder this time. "How do you know my name? Who are you, anyway?"

Blue eyes glared over the back of the couch. The boy had grown a full two inches since last year. Bunnymund smiled.

"Just the Easter Bunny, mate," he replied casually, setting a vividly-painted egg behind a vase. "Doing my duty. You didn't think yer mum painted all those eggs, now did ya?"

That's exactly what the boy did think, Aster knew full well. Jack had overheard him telling his friend Billy from two apartments down just three days ago, that their moms painted and hid the eggs. It wasn't so much a matter of professional pride, as keeping the kids believing. Aster was just doing his part to keep as many lights lit on Santa's globe as possible.

"You ain't the Easter Bunny!" The boy stepped out from behind the couch and stood, glaring, his hands on his hips. "I _seen_ the Easter Bunny yesterday. He wasn't as big as _you_. And he's _white_ and wears a blue dress! I _seen_ him, and you ain't him! Now get outta my apartment 'fore I call the cops!"

"_What?_" Aster stood, staring at the boy, astounded. "What're you on about, mate? I'm the only Easter Bunny you're ever gonna see. I'm the only Easter Bunny, _period._"

"Nuh-uh! I _seen_ him! Him an' them green guys that saved my sister when she fell off the balcony!" The boy stood his ground, unmoved by Aster's bluster. "Lindsey fell, an' the Easter Bunny caught her! An' the green guy with him said he was the Easter Bunny!"

"Green… guy…" Aster shook his head, confused. "I don't know what you're talkin' about, kid, but you best get back to bed," he said gruffly. "_I'm _the only Easter Bunny, and don't you forget it!"

He tossed a gilded egg to Matthew, who caught it with a shocked look. He tapped one foot on the ground, and vanished down the tunnel before the astonished little boy could speak again.

_Another Easter Bunny, bah! What are these kids thinking these days?_ He growled softly. The warmth and fresh breeze of his meadow brushed his face, but he hardly noticed. _Must've been some cartoon or such nonsense… _

Something blue and cold collided with his chest just as he barreled out of the tunnel.

"Hey! Easy there, Bunny, give a guy a little warning why dontcha? These tunnels are like a maze!" Jack Frost staggered back, using his pole to steady himself. His mischievous grin showed no signs that he'd just been plowed into by a 200lb rabbit. He brushed a non-existent bit of fur off his sleeve. "Man, who crapped in your carrot patch?"

"What are you on about, you barmy…" Aster trailed off as he saw the boy's grin widen. "You _knew _about this, didn't you? If you've been goin' around wearing a costume and impersonatin' the Easter Bunny…" He took a step forward, reaching for a boomerang, but Jack backed up, holding up his hands as if in surrender.

"Whoa, easy there, big guy," Jack was laughing. Jack was almost always laughing, and Aster rarely thought his jokes were funny.

For once, his glare was enough to cut off the chuckles.

"Hey, I didn't know either, until I looked into one of North's globes and saw what happened. Those Turtle guys are always running around the City. They help people. They're good guys. In fact, we ought to talk to The Man in the Moon about making _them_ Guardians. I mentioned it to the big guy, but he said something about mutants and ninjas…"

Aster was imagining what he'd look like, melted into a puddle. He wondered if he could glare hard enough to melt the Guardian of winter. No such luck, but the kid did trail off.

"Um, yeah, ok. Anyway, they have this… _friend_, I guess. I've only seen him a couple times before. They're not that easy to spot, but they were showing him around the City one night, so I followed them. Bunny, these guys are _amazing_. I mean, really! You should _see_ them… I've never seen a mortal move the way they do…"

"So?" Aster glared, unimpressed.

Jack shook his head. "Ok fine, on with the story. Where was I? Oh, right, the Rabbit. He must have been visiting again. And when Lindsey fell, I was going to catch her, but that Rabbit… he just came out of _nowhere_. I've never seen anything like it. He must've jumped off the roof. I would've thought he was flying if the green guy… I think he's a _Turtle_, but it's kind of hard to tell, because he wears an orange mask… hadn't swung down on a rope and caught them both. It was pretty amazing. Then the kids saw them and the Turtle guy got all nervous. He was the one who told the kid the Rabbit was the Easter Bunny. The Rabbit didn't even know who the Easter Bunny is. I heard him ask, but the Turtle guy told him 'Don't be silly, Usagi, you're the Easter Bunny, Dude'." Jack imitated a California surfer's accent.

"Then what happened, mate?" growled Aster, crossing his arms.

"I don't know, he just sort of nodded and agreed with him, and then they were gone. Poof, vanished, right into thin air." Jack made a waving motion with his hand. "Like a magician's trick."

"_I'll _show 'im a trick! Imagine, impersonatin' me!" Aster growled. "We'll see about this."

With a thump, he was traveling through the tunnels again, with Jack hot on his heels, much to his irritation. He allowed himself a small grin as the tunnel snapped closed just as Jack got clear.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"You didn't have to follow."

"Are you kidding?" The boy's grin was back, full force. "I wouldn't miss this for the world!"

Aster snorted. "North!"

"I'm right here, Aster, no need to shout." Santa strode forward, his impressive muscles bulging. Now here, Aster was certain, was an ally who could be counted upon.

"What's this about some bloke claimin' to be me?" he demanded. "He's confusing the children!"

North's laugh boomed out, and Aster had to stifle his irritation. Jack's teasing laughter was one thing, but North understood, even if he found the situation amusing. He had thousands of imitators. It didn't seem to bother _him_, but his holiday was well established as one of the most popular in the world. It had even begun to crowd into other months. Aster almost felt sorry for Pitch. With Halloween nearly forgotten in the rush to get to Christmas, it was little wonder the Bogey Man was feeling resentful.

"It was an accident, Aster," said North, becoming serious. "The ninjas, they do not wish to be seen, but they protect the children when they can, as we do. They are good people, for mutants."

"Good people don't go 'round impersonatin' the Easter Bunny!" snapped Aster.

The man shrugged. "It was a good story in the moment. What else do you tell a child who sees a five-foot-tall Rabbit?"

Aster snorted. "I ain't gonna stand for it," he said. "That bunny doesn't know who he's messin' around with here!"

"Now, Aster…" North laid a heavy hand on Aster's shoulder, nearly making the Rabbit stagger. "It was an accident. Usagi meant no harm. He's not even from our world."

"Well, he's got no _right_ messing around then!" Aster snapped. "What's he thinking, coming around and mucking up our jobs? _My_ job?"

North shook his head. "He's ninja, Aster. You don't want to, how do the kids say? Mess with him. He is what they call a bad-ass."

Jack's laughter peeled through the room, traveling up the curved arch of the ceiling and echoing, grating in Aster's ears.

North looked only slightly abashed at his word choice. "Let it go," he said sagely, patting Aster's shoulder and turning away. "We all have work to do. Only 328 more days before Christmas!"

"Let it go? Let it _go?_ I don't think so, mate." Aster stomped one foot, and vanished down his tunnel before the man could say another word. He wasn't sure who this Usagi character was or what his game happened to be, but he wasn't about to let the insult to his pride go that easily. Ninja or no, this character would answer to Aster Bunnymund.

Aster watched the other Rabbit as he strode across a meadow, not that different from his own. The air was clean and sweet, and the breeze was pleasant, but Aster wasn't about to be distracted from his mission. The other Rabbit had invaded his territory, and had impersonated him. He wouldn't stand for it.

_Ninja, huh?_ Aster barely contained a snort. _Big deal._

The other Rabbit was smaller, only a little over five feet tall, to Aster's six-foot-three, not counting his ears. The white Rabbit wore his ears tied oddly atop his head with a ribbon. The style looked painful, and Aster doubted he could hear properly, with his ears wrapped so tightly. All the better for dealing with this upstart.

Aster fingered his boomerang, considering. No, he wouldn't use it. Not yet. A sneak attack would give him the advantage, he knew, but this was a matter of honor, of pride. He would face the other Rabbit face to face.

He noted the swords the Rabbit carried at his side, and watched critically as the other Rabbit moved across the meadow toward his position in a copse of trees. Ninja, maybe. This Rabbit was a warrior, but Aster was willing to take him on. Nobody messed with his reputation as the Easter Bunny. Nobody.

* * *

Usagi Yojimbo knew someone was watching him approach from the little patch of quaking aspen. He'd caught the stranger's scent long before he spotted the taller creature's silhouette. It had taken him a moment to recognize another Rabbit. He'd never met one of his own species who stood quite so tall, almost as tall as the human friend of the Turtles, Casey Jones.

He ignored the stranger studiously. As long as he didn't approach him, he was willing to go on his way and leave the other Rabbit to his own business. Still, his hand rested lightly on the hilt of his sword. He wasn't looking for a confrontation, but neither was he a fool, and the stranger's intense scrutiny made him suspect he wasn't just seeking shade amongst the trees.

He stiffened as the stranger strode forward. The other Rabbit's sharp, decisive movements were aggressive, and sure enough, he was angling his path to intercept Usagi's. The ronin stopped, and turned to face him, waiting, impassive. He slid his sword loose from the sheath with his thumb, but didn't draw it yet.

"Oy! You that bloke who told Matthew you're the Easter Bunny?" The other Rabbit's hail was gruff.

Usagi stared, startled, then remembered Michelangelo's explanation to the child, who'd stared, wide-eyed and pale, after he rescued the young female from falling.

_Uh, yeah, dude. He's um, the Easter Bunny. Savin' kids is what he does, you know, in his spare time. But stay off the railing ok? 'Cause he's not always around to catch ya like that. And listen to your mom and don't do drugs. Come on, Usagi. Let's get outta here. Man, Leo's gonna kill me…_

He nodded. "It was a misunderstanding," he said mildly, but the other Rabbit's ears twitched.

"Have at ya, then, ya dirty impersonator!" roared the other, coming at him in a rush.

Usagi was prepared for the attack, but not for the other's speed and power. He was deceptively wiry and fast for his height. The ronin dodged to the right, and felt the other's hand slide across the edge of his hakama. He drew his sword and spun to face his opponent, taking a defensive stance.

"I do not wish to fight you," he said sternly, sizing up the other.

"Too bad, mate."

A flash of brown, and something flew through the air toward his head. Usagi ducked, avoiding the object. A faint whistle was his only warning, but his instincts saved him as he ducked again, just missing having his ears shortened by what he now saw was a curved piece of flat wood. The other Rabbit caught it neatly.

"Hmm. Tricky bugger, aren't ya?" He twirled the wood in his fingers with a cocky grin. "Well see how ya like _this_."

Usagi dodged left this time, but the other adjusted his rush, catching him around the middle in a move the ronin had only seen used once before, when Michelangelo teased his brother to the point of explosion and Raphael preformed an attack Leonardo later told him was a "football tackle".

He allowed himself to be carried to the ground, and used the impact to wriggle free before the other Rabbit could get a good grip. He brought the flat of his sword down with a _crack_ on the other's head, hoping to stun him. He had no real desire to fight this stranger, and a strategic retreat seemed like a viable strategy at this point.

"Ow! Why, ya mangy, squirmy, rotten…"

The Rabbit let loose a string of what Usagi could only guess were curses.

The uppercut caught him by surprise and he staggered back, feeling as though his jaw had been loosened on its hinges. He glared as the other smirked.

"So, ya ain't quite as quick as you think, huh?" taunted the other Rabbit.

He circled, and dashed forward suddenly, dodging to one side and leaving only empty air to meet Usagi's swipe. Another strike caught the ronin in the ribs, and he spun, giving as good as he got, and caught the other just below the ear with a clout that sent him staggering.

Usagi landed nimbly and dashed away, but didn't go far. He wiped his hand across his chin, and a streak of red marred his white fur. The other had drawn blood, and the ronin would not allow that to stand. While he did not wish to engage in a needless battle, neither would he run from a fight.

The other was holding back now, watching him warily, waiting for him to make the next move. Usagi adjusted his stance and launched from where he was standing, aiming a kick at the other's head. The other ducked, as he'd expected, and he landed and turned, immediately striking out again with a well-placed punch. A hard strike caught his arm, sending it numb from wrist to elbow, as the other blocked and returned with a kick from one of those enormous feet. The ground met Usagi rather unceremoniously, knocking all the wind from his lungs and the sword from his hand, but there was no time to lie about. He was on his feet immediately, and just as well, because the other charged, pressing his advantage. He managed to grasp Usagi around the middle just as he was reaching for the hilt of his sword, and lifted him off the ground in a fierce squeeze. The ronin squirmed and struggled but with his tortured chest already aching from the first fall, he was in a bad place and he knew it.

"I'll teach ya to trick kids!" yelled the other.

Usagi was seeing stars blinking in a darkening field of black when he managed to get one arm free. With the remainder of his strength, he drove his elbow into the other's ribs, eliciting a grunt and loosening his hold just enough for Usagi to slip out of his grasp and drop to the ground.

Usagi wasted no time in scrambling to snatch up his sword, and turned, panting, to face the other, who had already started toward him. The other Rabbit stopped, eyeing the sword pointed firmly in his direction, and held up his hands as if in surrender.

"All right, mate, there's no need to go sticking things in people," he grumbled. "Leave it to a _ninja_ to bring a sword to a brawl."

"_I_ am no ninja," snapped Usagi. "I am _samurai._"

"Whatever. Dirty imposter, that's all I know!" snapped the other.

"I have told you, it was a misunderstanding," returned Usagi. "The child was confused and my friend believed that explanation was best. We did not wish the young human to be frightened. I am told that my appearance may alarm the humans."

"Well if you don't go around showin' yourself to them…"

"Would you rather I let the child fall?"

The pair glared at each other.

"Whatever, mate. Just stay outta my business from here on out, and we'll get on just fine," the other finally growled. He turned away, brushing the dust from his fur.

Usagi stared, tense, for a moment, before accepting the gesture for what it was meant; an end to the scuffle. He slid his sword back into its sheath.

"I assure you, I have no intention of allowing more humans to see me. You have been a worthy opponent, friend. My name is Usagi Yojimbo," said the Samurai, bowing slightly. "And may I have the honor of knowing yours?"

The tall Rabbit hesitated. "It's just the Easter Bunny, mate," he answered gruffly with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Usagi's brow creased and his hand hovered dangerously near the hilt of his _wakizashi_. "Is your identity a secret?" he asked, his tone cold. "Or do you insult me? I would be happy to teach you better manners, if you wish to test your skills against mine a second time."

The other Rabbit snorted, but he met Usagi's steady gaze and his eyes widened slightly. "All right now, don't get your blades bent." He let out a gusty sigh. "If ya must know, it's Aster. Aster Bunnymund, but I rather go by Easter Bunny, if it's all the same to you."

Usagi bowed again, relaxing his stance. "As you wish, Easter Bunny. You fought bravely, and I am honored to know you. Perhaps we will meet again someday."

"Ya never know." The Easter Bunny gave him what looked like a salute, before stamping one foot against the ground. A hole opened up at his feet, and before Usagi could blink, he was gone.

Usagi stood, staring, at the place where the other Rabbit had vanished. "Very strange," he muttered to himself. "He may look like a Rabbit, but I wonder if he has some Mogura Ninja in his blood."

Turning away, he strode off over the hill, in search of his next adventure.


End file.
